Portland Catching Flack For Small Snow Removal Signs, Towing Cars

As the snow began to pile up through some significant storms in Portland, the city realized there would come a time when they would have do some serious snow removal on streets that are already narrow to begin with. In years past, the city would declare various parking bans, often color coded, to let residents know when they needed to have their cars moved by and when it would be okay to return their cars back to their streets. This year, things have changed.

The City of Portland has employed a new policy this year, which is leaving a lot of residents perturbed and taking to social media to launch complaints. Portland has decided to make announcements on their social media pages as well as place small red signs in snowbanks stating "EMERGENCY, NO PARKING, TOW AWAY ZONE".

Complaints about the signs have ranged, with people stating they haven't seen them because they've been buried in the snow to their belief that the signs aren't clear enough as to WHEN the snow removal will begin or end. Additionally, in some cases and on some streets, the signs haven't been removed AFTER the snow has been removed, leaving residents confused as to whether it's safe to park and not be towed.

Some residents prefer the new system versus a citywide, or neighborhood-wide parking ban. With tow charges as high as $200, Portland is likely to receive even louder complaints on social media as the winter continues.